Lady Godiva

Lady Godiva, believed to have lived circa 980 - 1067, was an Anglo Saxon noblewoman and wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. Lady Godiva became a legendary figure in the city of Coventry for having ridden on horseback naked through the streets of Coventry as a protest against the high taxes her husband had imposed on his tenants.

Lady Godiva by John Collier, c. 1897

The Pre-Raphaelite artist John Collier painted a picture of Lady Godiva c. 1897.

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Coventrian WH Bassett-Green commissioned a statue of Lady Godiva to be made as a gift to the city. It was sculpted by Sir William Reid Dick and unveiled on the 22nd of October 1949. The statue can be found in Broadgate, Coventry

More on Lady Godiva

• Lady Godiva poem by Tennyson.
• Lady Godiva festival